What to do before wallpapering. What is the right way to process the walls before wallpapering? Step-by-step preparation of surfaces for wallpaper

Landscaping and planning 03.03.2020
Landscaping and planning

Wallpapering (48 photos): wall preparation and technology

Wallpapering is one of the most critical steps in the renovation process.

In this article, we will reveal some of the secrets of proper wallpapering. how to prepare the wall, choose wallpaper and glue. as well as pasting hard-to-reach places.

Instructions for preparing walls for wallpapering

Before you start wallpapering, it is necessary to carry out preliminary preparation. Many people know that you need to pre-prepare the wall, but few people understand the real meaning of this. What should be the sequence of actions during the pre-treatment of walls for wallpaper? What are the subtleties in the preparatory process?

What qualities should a wall have so that the wallpaper sticks well and lasts a long time?

Preparing the walls for wallpapering is recognized by many as a very important point. Otherwise, after a few years, there will be a deterioration in the appearance of the finish and thoughts of a new repair will begin to come to mind. Plus, it’s wrong to prepare the walls for wallpapering - this is not only additional financial resources but also a waste of time and effort.


Grouting joints and puttying wall irregularities before wallpapering

In most cases, the wall can hardly be called an ideal surface for repairs: it has visible bumps, glue residue from past wallpapering, protruding fittings and additional flaws. What's left to do? For the result to be worthwhile, additional preparation of the wall surface should be carried out before gluing the wallpaper with your own hands. This will make it possible to make the surface perfectly flat and suitable for wallpapering.

Tools and materials

The process of preparing the walls does not require any special skills, but to bring them to an ideal state, you still cannot do without a building tool. It is not particularly varied, but is required. It includes:

  • various types of spatulas necessary for removing the old coating and applying putty;
  • a brush needed for applying glue and priming in places that are hard to reach for a roller;
  • a sponge for wetting and smoothing, as well as a rubber roller for wallpapering;
  • screwdrivers designed to dismantle all kinds of wall-mounted items, among which may be wall shelves, lamps, sockets, etc.;
  • a mount or nail puller necessary for removing skirting boards and other decorative elements;
  • sandpaper, the purpose of which is to grind the surface;
  • plastic and metal buckets, rags, rags.

Preliminary work

Preparing the walls for wallpapering is much more difficult than, in itself, finishing the wall: therefore, close attention is paid to the repair of the walls. The main task is to ensure that the preparation of the wall surface is correct before you start gluing the wallpaper.

Dismantling of wall cabinets, baseboards, sockets, switches

Since the walls of a modern room are difficult to imagine completely empty: without electrical appliances, shelves, sockets, etc. then before carrying out work related to wallpapering, they must be completely freed from all unnecessary. First of all, you need to disconnect the room from the electricity supply, after which you need to check all the switches and sockets for a lack of power.

Advice: Remove protruding parts from sockets and switches, and to prevent moisture from getting into the slots, cover them, for example, with masking tape.


Dismantling of old wooden skirting boards with a chisel and hammer

Removing old wallpapers

To remove the old coating, it must first be softened. Of great importance are the types of wallpaper that you plan to glue.

If there were paper wallpapers on the walls in the room, then it is enough to soften them with soapy water, to which you can add a small amount of wallpaper glue. This should be done so that the liquid becomes thicker and lingers on the surface of the wall. On washable wallpaper, it is desirable to make cuts so that the solution can penetrate to the base through a dense layer of material.


Wetting the wall with a roller to soak and easily remove old wallpaper.

After soaking, they must be removed using a metal spatula. If the old coating is not completely removed, then the procedure should be repeated. In places where cleaning is difficult, you can use an ordinary iron by ironing the difficult area through a damp cloth.

In the case of vinyl wallpaper, the process is a little more complicated. They need to make cuts, after which you can begin to remove the top layer of vinyl wallpaper. The bottom paper layer of vinyl wallpaper that remains can be used as a base for future wallpaper, but only if it is firmly held.

Removing old paint

Removing old paint during the repair process should not be difficult.

With minimal cost, this can be done in several ways:

  • The paint that makes up the main wall covering is pre-dried using a standard building hair dryer, and then it is easily removed with an ordinary spatula. The method is effective, but at the same time harmful. This requires permanent circulation in the room being renovated. fresh air. Due to the heating of the paint, toxic substances dangerous to human health are released, inhaling which long time Not recommended;
  • To clean the surface, you can use grinder or Bulgarian.


Removing oil paint from the walls with a grinder and a nozzle in the form of a round metal brush.

If oil paint or enamel is applied to the surface, then it is worth using sandpaper to remove it. The water emulsion can be easily removed with a spatula, previously moistened with soapy water.

Removing crumbling plaster and whitewash

The layer of plaster after removing the wallpaper needs a special assessment. You should make sure that there are no serious cracks on the old plaster and that it does not crumble. In order to make sure the integrity of the plaster, the wall is tapped - if there are “voiced” places, it means that the plaster has moved away from the base, which means it is crumbling. Small lagging plaster layers are beaten off and sealed with new plaster. If the damage is on a large surface, then it is better to knock down the plaster completely and re-plaster it.

Whitewash is also washed off without any problems. It is removed with a regular sponge and hot water. The only thing you need is to change the water in the bucket more often.

The procedure for preparing the surface for wallpapering

The first stage involves applying a spray to the walls, which should have a thickness of 3-9 millimeters. Such a layer is similar in consistency to thick sour cream, it can fill all the roughness and irregularities, it seamlessly lies on the surface of the wall. Depending on the composition of the spray, the plaster may normally adhere to the wall, or fall off the surface after a while.

The second stage is priming and puttying the walls. The thickness of the primer layer is usually 5-6 millimeters, in case of special need, several layers of it are gradually applied to the wall.


Applying the first coat of plaster to the wall using a long rule.

The third stage consists in applying the last layer of plaster to the wall surface, the thickness of which is 2-4 millimeters. The meaning of such actions is the formation of a thin film on the surface of the soil, which after a while is carefully rubbed off.

The fourth stage involves the alignment procedure using sandpaper.

Crack repair

After the preparatory processes of rough finishing and the removal of old wallpaper, the most even surface of the walls should be achieved.

The crack repair process includes:

  • increasing their width up to 1 cm;
  • opening these places with a primer;
  • sealing them with cement mortar or glue used for ordinary tiles.

Wall puttying

After that, they move on to puttying. With special care, it is necessary to putty those areas where metal fittings are visible in order to avoid the appearance of rust spots on the wallpaper in the future. It is worth knowing that it will be better to apply putty in two layers - one in a vertical one. and the other in a horizontal direction, this will get away from the visible stripes formed by the spatula. You can also apply special strokes diagonally - each new one will look like an overlap overlay.

In order for the putty to be applied as conveniently as possible and the coating to become better, it is recommended to use a spatula with a width of about 30-40 cm, and the holding angle with respect to the wall should be 25-30 degrees.

For puttying corners, an angled spatula is usually used, which makes it possible to quickly and easily process corner surfaces.

wall sanding

After the putty layer has dried, it is recommended to start grinding the walls, for which sandpaper or a sanding grid is used. To start the grinding procedure, you need to use a bar, on which a grinding mesh or sandpaper is attached using special clamps.


Finishing sanding the walls with sandpaper before priming.

It must be remembered that grinding is quite a dusty job, during which you should use various personal protective equipment against dust. It is best to grind from corner to corner. Grinding should be in the direction of left-right and up-down. In the place where the wall has become smooth, there is no need to grind more. This is due to the fact that with too much zeal during grinding, all the putty can be rubbed off. After making sure that part of the surface is polished, you can move on to another area.

Applying primer under wallpaper

The last step is to apply a primer to the walls under the wallpaper. The modern market offers a wide range of various primers. Primers are selected based on the condition of the walls and their characteristics. The following types of primers can be distinguished: acrylic, alkyd, mineral, deep penetration and with coloring pigments. Acrylic primer is the most common today. You can figure out which primer suits you best, acrylic or alkyd, by looking at the label, or by consulting the seller.

Applying a primer to the walls is not a particularly difficult task - even a novice amateur can do it. To apply the primer, you need to use a wide roller, brush or special sprayer. It is also possible to use a telescopic rod to which a roller or brush is attached. In this way, you can avoid the constant movement of the stepladder, as well as gain access to the primer walls in hard-to-reach places. The primer is produced in dry or diluted form. When buying a dry primer, you need to use the instructions that come with it.

If the surfaces to be treated are strong and reliable, then this case One coat of primer will suffice. If the walls are prone to shedding and the composition is poorly absorbed in them, then it is advisable to apply a second layer (0.2-0.4 mm). It is applied after the first one has dried. After the primer dries, you can start wallpapering.

So preparing the walls for wallpapering is a complex and rather laborious process, but with strict adherence to the instructions and recommendations, it will be possible even for a non-professional.

What should be done before wallpapering? How to treat the walls before gluing? Preparing walls for gluing

Many people pay great attention to the process of choosing wallpaper itself, while not attaching importance to competent surface preparation before pasting them. And absolutely in vain. Preparing the walls for pasting is an extremely important procedure, on which the success of the venture depends entirely. And if it is carried out illiterately or completely skip this stage, then a new decorative coating, even if they paid a lot of money for it, it will have a very unsightly appearance. Or it will not stick to the wall at all, which, in principle, is even worse. Be that as it may, the preparation procedure must be carried out very carefully. What, in fact, we want to tell those who do not know what needs to be done before wallpapering, how to process the walls and why do it at all.

What should be the surface under the wallpaper

So, what preparatory work needs to be done before wallpapering, how to process the walls, so that the updated room decor not only pleases with the appearance, but also stays on the wall with high quality for a long time? In order to correctly understand the essence of the issue and correctly determine the scope and type finishing works, you need to start from the opposite. That is, to know what the ideal surface for wallpaper should be.

And first of all, it must be dry. A wet surface will not absorb the water contained in the adhesive well, and therefore the composition will not grab on the wall properly and will not provide right quality adhesion of the surface with a decorative coating.

The foundation must be solid. That is, the presence of flaky surfaces on the wall, areas of plaster literally breathing at hand, old wallpaper hanging in shreds and other unnecessary elements is a direct contraindication to pasting. First, the base coat must, as they say, be brought to mind, and only then proceed to the pasting procedure.

The surface must be clean. If there are black stains from mold and fungus on it, the question of whether it is necessary to process the walls before wallpapering is generally pointless to ask. Here we are not even talking about how the new coating will look on such a wall, but about how you will feel in the near future, because dampness in the room and fungus on the walls negatively affect not only the condition of the wallpaper, but also to your health.

The wall should be smooth and have a uniform color. Only then will all possible and impossible defects not appear on the new decorative coating, which will cause not joy from the work done, but bewilderment and annoyance.

What is ideal wall preparation

Far from always, home masters carry out thorough preparation. Moreover, quite often it is not at all because they do not know how to process the walls before wallpapering, but for the reason that this procedure itself is quite lengthy and expensive. Indeed, ideally, the walls should be removed from the old coating, then the base should be antiseptically treated, after which it should be carefully leveled with plaster, and then puttied, cleaned and primed. There is a lot of work, and a lot of expensive materials will be required. So the craftsmen go to all sorts of tricks, trying to skip one or another stage of preparation. Sometimes this can be done when the prerequisites are right (we will give some tricky tips on this at the end of the article), but most often it is still unwise to do so. In principle, of course, everyone decides for himself what he needs. One is also satisfied with the fact that already a month after the repair, the wallpaper hangs in the corners of the room and snarls angrily with parted seams, while the other begins almost a nervous attack at the sight of a small tubercle sticking out from under the wallpaper in a far from the most visible place in the room.

We, in turn, still allow ourselves to give a few recommendations and try to describe in as much detail and step by step as possible how to properly process the walls before wallpapering.

Stage One: General Preparation

This is a total cleaning of the wall covering from old wallpaper, paint, whitewash and other coatings that are on it. As well as all sorts of "decorative" additions in the form of orderly rows of hammered nails, various dowels, hooks and other unnecessary "decorations". In general, in the end you should have an absolutely clean, if you can call it that, wall.

Advice from professionals

If the old wallpaper is very strong, you do not need to try to tear it off with a layer of plaster. So you only damage the already fragile foundation. Arm yourself with a bucket hot water and a brush. And wet the treated area every ten minutes. The wallpaper will become saturated with water and begin to bubble and well behind the wall. If you need to remove vinyl wallpapers, rip off first upper layer from the coating, under which the paper base will remain. Also remove it after wetting it with water.

As for oil paint, it should be disposed of with a drill with a special nozzle. The whitewash is removed with a spatula, after carefully moistening the wall with water.

What to do with areas of mold

So, you finally got rid of the old coating. But under it they found intricate black drawings of unknown origin. It's mold. And you need to get rid of it without fail. Anyone understands that it is necessary to take some special steps before wallpapering. How to process the walls in this case? Are there any special products for this or is it enough just to wash the surface from black stains? Of course not. You need to either purchase a special composition in the store, or try to somehow get by with improvised means.

Weapon against fungus

So, you found mold under the old coating, and now you don’t know what to do before wallpapering. How to process the walls so that this misfortune does not arise again under the already new decorative coating? Go to the building materials store and get a special deep penetration antibacterial primer there. The most effective is the composition of "Ceresit". And diligently treat infected surfaces with it, after washing off the black plaque with a wet rag. If for some reason it was not possible to buy soil, you will have to use folk recipes. Dilute a glass of bleach in a liter of water. And diligently coat the areas infected with the fungus. You can do even smarter. Get a penny, but so beloved by many housewives, a whitening solution called "Whiteness". Which contains so much of the chlorine mentioned above that no self-prepared mold remedy can be compared with the composition.

How to treat concrete walls before wallpapering

Looks like the fungus is sorted out. And what to do if under the old wallpaper you suddenly found not a layer of plaster, but literally bare concrete? How to be in that case? Glue on such a base modern wallpaper by no means is it possible. In general, this can be understood at a glance. Such a wall has a very unsightly appearance, it is all rough, in defects and literally causes tears with its curvature. How to process the walls before wallpapering in this case? We answer - nothing! You just need to spit on the notorious savings and lost time and start plastering the surface. Which, in fact, is the second stage in the process of competently preparing the base for wallpaper.

Plastering

As for the process of plastering itself, there are two possible scenarios for the development of events. In the case of the concrete walls mentioned above (as well as those made of brick or made of silicate blocks), there is no alternative. You will have to plaster the entire surface, from corner to corner. Moreover, in the case of a large curvature, certainly with the installation of beacons. By the way, you will have to carry out exactly the same procedure if you have a plastered, but also very uneven surface. But if the wall does not cause any particular complaints, but only has small defects and the areas of curvature on it are relatively small, then it is quite possible to limit ourselves to resuscitation measures. That is, repair all existing defects and cracks with plaster, as well as trim some areas. After that, you need to wait for the solution to dry, and then prime the entire surface of the walls with an acrylic primer. After it dries, you can proceed to the last stage.

Puttying

The purpose of this procedure is to make the base base white and smooth. After that, you can glue any, even the most capricious wallpaper, without fear for the outcome of the case. As for the process itself, it will not cause special problems for those who know how to hold a spatula in their hands. Get a putty mixture, and not necessarily very expensive, knead it, apply a thin first layer on the walls, wait for it to dry. Then you clean it with sandpaper, prime it, then putty it again, clean it again and prime it. At the same time, it is not at all necessary that the surface be perfectly smooth, without a single scratch. Minor minor defects will hide under the wallpaper. The main thing is to make it smooth and durable. But to achieve the latter, a primer is applied. About her - a little more.

What primer to treat the walls before wallpapering

To some, the question may seem irrelevant. Primer - and primer. Bought - anointed - ready. But things are a little more complicated. The point is that on this moment there are quite a lot of different compositions. And not all of them are suitable for wallpaper, as they have a special purpose. The primer is designed to give the surface such a quality as adhesion. That is, it should maximize the fit of the wallpaper, their adhesion to the wall. And for these purposes, an acrylic primer is best suited. It is generally considered universal, compatible with all types of surfaces, and dries quickly enough. So when buying soil, do not be wiser. Buy acrylic - you definitely can't go wrong. The choice on the market is quite large, but the brands Ceresit, Snezhka and Master are the most popular.

And remember: after priming, the wall should dry well. And it is best not to rush and give her a day for this. And then you can proceed directly to the pasting process.

It is the observance of all the above rules and the implementation of the described procedures that will be the answer to the question of how to properly process the walls before wallpapering. This is the only way to get a really even and solid foundation. And the wallpaper glued to it will perfectly adhere to the wall, delighting you for many years with its excellent appearance.

Secrets of the masters

Finally, a few tricks and useful tips. If you didn’t manage to achieve perfectly smooth walls, it doesn’t matter. The main thing is that you end up with a solid and well-crafted base. In this case, just do not buy plain or striped wallpapers - get something colorful, albeit with an unobtrusive, but pattern.

If you have no way to re-plaster and putty the walls, that is, you are forced to glue on what is, then in any case, first of all, carefully treat the surface with a primer. And preferably twice, with a break of several hours. And try to mask all the existing defects on the walls with wallpaper. And for pasting such problematic surfaces, get the most “chubby”, corrugated decorative coating, and best of all with an abstract pattern.

Conclusion

We tried to answer the question of how and why to process the walls before wallpapering as fully as possible. We hope that we not only managed to convince you of the need for this process, but we also managed to teach you how to do it competently.

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When choosing a certain type of primer, you should consider the material that is the basis of the product. Manufacturers have developed special formulations that are best used for heavy and light materials. The composition of the soil is divided into several types:

  • Acrylic. These impregnations are used for the treatment of concrete surfaces, drywall and wood. Great for living rooms, as they are odorless. Full drying time - up to 24 hours. Impregnations of this type are classified as universal.
  • Alkyd. Used to prepare wooden and metal surfaces for subsequent painting or pasting. Dries quickly enough - up to 12 hours. Cannot be used to protect plastered walls.
  • Glyphthalic. These impregnations are designed for metal products. It will take at least a day to dry.
  • Perchlorovinyl. Prohibited for application in living rooms. Designed for coating mineral substrates and metal products. Drying time - up to 4 hours.
  • Polyvinyl acetate. For high-quality impregnation under standard conditions, 30 minutes is enough. It is used to cover walls before gluing with PVA-based products.
  • Polystyrene. Also not recommended for interior protection. Designed to protect wood and plaster walls.
  • Phenolic. Designed to protect wood and metal elements.

A few words about the pasting process

If you decide to use the services of professionals when carrying out repairs, then they definitely will not have a question about whether it is necessary to prime the walls before wallpapering. And in the absence of this composition in the assortment of building materials you bought, they will certainly send you to the store for it. Moreover, the primer will literally flow like water when preparing the walls for pasting.

Let's see why you need to prime the walls? Wallpaper, even the most dense and embossed, is not able to level the surface, mask all the potholes and pores. If you stick them on an unprepared surface, then at a certain angle all the flaws will immediately catch your eye. It is unlikely that anyone will like it.

The primer also protects the wall from mold that can develop under the wallpaper. A particularly favorable environment for the fungus appears in the corners of the premises, and they often turn black. The primer will prevent the development of mold by sealing all pores and microcracks.

In addition, wallpaper adheres more tightly to the primed wall, as the adhesion of materials increases. Unprimed walls have pores in which air accumulates. If the wallpaper is pasted on such a loose surface, then literally in a month the panels will begin to diverge first at the joints, and then in other places.

The use of a primer significantly increases the level of reliability of adhesion of wallpaper sheets to the base. Even thorough cleaning followed by washing cannot completely remove dust particles from the walls. If they are not primed, then the dust rolls down and does not allow the glue to be distributed evenly over the entire plane.

For this reason, the wallpaper may eventually fall behind in areas where there was poor adhesion of the adhesive to the wall. Priming compositions neutralize dust by nailing it to the surface. As a result, direct contact of dust particles with the adhesive mixture is excluded.

Priming should be carried out without fail when wallpapering on walls made of highly porous materials - plaster, foam concrete, wood concrete, cement / gypsum plaster, etc.

A plastic cuvette (bath) for paint is also suitable when working with a primer. Helps to more evenly distribute the composition over the roller and remove excess

The primer seals the pores, which reduces the consumption of glue and significantly improves the quality of adhesion. Primers that have a white color are great for treating walls under the sticker of thin translucent wallpaper. Such primers make the plane monophonic, hiding traces of paint and various stains.

1) It is necessary to prime the walls under the wallpaper carefully, evenly distributing the solution. Problematic surfaces (for example, too loose or from which dust “pours”) does not hurt to process twice.

Applying a primer to a plastered wall with a roller

2) Special attention should be given to priming hard-to-reach areas - corners, niches, curvilinear and figured working bases. It is in these places that the wallpaper most often lags behind due to poor-quality application of primer and glue.

A brush or small diameter rollers can be used to apply the primer behind pipes and at wall corners.

3) The wallpaper sticker is started only after the final drying of the primer layer. Drying time depends on several factors - type of substrate, type of primer, temperature regime and the level of humidity at the site.

Before treating the surface of the walls with a primer, it is necessary to prepare:

  • soil container;
  • paint roller with a pile of medium length;
  • medium flat brush
  • small flat brush.

It is advisable to use gloves when handling: when the soil dries, the surface of the skin darkens and sticks a little. Surface preparation according to all the rules includes several stages.

First, remove the old coating. To do this with a minimum of dust, you should use an ordinary spray gun, filling it with water: moistening the wallpaper will allow you to remove them in large fragments without scraping.

So that two-layer old wallpapers do not peel off, you need to wait until they get wet. This eliminates the need to use a spatula: mechanical movements can scratch the surface.

When the old coating is removed from the walls, it is necessary to plaster the walls using a cement-sand mortar or putty, cover up cracks, get rid of bumps, pigmented areas.

If lime remains on the surface, you can remove it with sandpaper. This process is difficult to perform without dust, so the doorway will have to be closed. After processing, they get rid of dust, including that which has settled on the floor. This should be done with a sponge slightly dipped in water. The sponge should not be too wet.

Then you can treat the walls with a primer. If, during the preparation process, old wallpaper is difficult to remove from the walls, you can buy a special liquid that the strongest glue cannot resist. It is possible to cover surfaces only after the putty is completely dry. If there is high humidity in the room, it will not be superfluous to treat the walls with a spray from fungus and mold.

If you decide to use the services of professionals when carrying out repairs, then they definitely will not have a question about whether it is necessary to prime the walls before wallpapering. And in the absence of this composition in the assortment of building materials you bought, they will certainly send you to the store for it. Moreover, the primer will literally flow like water when preparing the walls for pasting.

But home craftsmen who are independently engaged in repairs quite often omit this procedure, considering it optional. And, it should be noted, completely in vain. Why? Let's try to figure this out. So, do you need to prime the walls before wallpapering? And if so, why, how and with what to do it?

Wallpaper has always been and still is a popular material for decorating. wall surfaces. Released today great amount various types, differing both in cost, and in texture, and in the materials from which they are made. However, one thing unites them: the walls under them must be properly prepared.

And those home masters who think that the thicker the wallpaper, the less time you need to devote to pre-treatment of the walls are deeply mistaken. It must be remembered: if you do not want the result of your work to cause only tears, do not try to save money. Ideally, the walls should first be leveled with plaster, and then puttied.

And at the same time, there is no need to wonder whether it is necessary to prime the walls before wallpapering, considering this procedure not noteworthy and trying to speed up the process. The primer mixture should always be at hand, and it must be used both when plastering, and when puttying, and before directly pasting itself. Why?

If budgetary repairs are planned, then you need to remove all old wallpaper, clean the walls of dust, inspect them and carefully repair all existing defects with putty. After that, you can start priming. In the same case, when large-scale finishing work is envisaged, the primer composition can be applied only after the finishing putty layer has been cleaned. That is, this will be the final stage immediately before pasting itself.

The primer applied to the wall will make it smooth and mask all the bumps. Therefore, the walls must be primed.

In preparation for priming and wallpapering walls, use the following tips.

  • Not everyone knows how many times to prime the walls. It is enough to apply a high-quality primer on a well-prepared surface once. On porous, heavily crumbling and moisture-absorbing substrates, primer should be applied in 2 layers.
  • The next layer is applied evenly over the entire surface only after the previous one has completely dried.
  • Dry primer is cheaper than ready-made liquid primer.
  • It is necessary to dilute the soil mixture strictly according to the instructions indicated on the package. The result should be a composition of a homogeneous mass.
  • Be sure to follow safety precautions, protecting the body and eyes from getting primer.
  • If you do not have the opportunity to buy a primer, you can apply diluted wallpaper paste to the wall before gluing.

What is the best primer to choose?

The undeniable advantages of wall impregnation using a primer prove that a primer under the wallpaper is necessary to obtain high-quality pasting. Which impregnation to choose depends not only on the composition roll material, but also on the type of surface.

It is best to treat concrete surfaces with universal acrylic or alkyd impregnations. These solutions, getting into the structure of concrete, create a slightly rough coating, which provides excellent adhesion when sticking both paper and non-woven wallpaper.

If the owners decide to paste over the ceiling, then these types of primer should also be applied to the surface of the floor slabs. Proper processing will not only increase adhesion, but also give water-repellent properties to the surface. H

When wooden walls are to be pasted over, primers for painting based on oil solutions are used. An acrylic primer is suitable for processing plywood or fiberboard.

For sheet materials(GVL, drywall, OSB), which are often used in new buildings, it is recommended to use universal acrylic solutions with an antiseptic. Such a base will be poorly impregnated due to the characteristics of the material, but vinyl wallpaper and glass wallpaper can be reliably placed on the treated surface.

The choice of a particular type of primer depends on which wall is supposed to be wallpapered.

Primer selection video.

What is the primer:

  1. Acrylic - designed to reduce the hygroscopicity of the walls, to prevent the appearance of new cracks on them. In addition, when using it, the amount of the required adhesive composition is reduced. Recommended for finely porous walls and drywall. Due to its composition, it easily penetrates the surface, smoothes minor defects. Acrylic primer is odorless, dries quickly, dissolves in water.
  2. Latex - forms the thinnest film on the wall, which provides adhesion of the surface to the finishing materials. Recommended for plastered walls, as it has a strengthening effect. Latex primer improves the waterproofing properties of surfaces well. This type of soil fits well on concrete, stone, and is suitable for damp rooms.
  3. Alkyd - similar in properties to paint. Suitable for wood and concrete, prevents the development of fungus and mold. This primer is often used before coating walls with latex or acrylic. Alkyd primer does not penetrate deep into the pores and is more suitable as a preparatory step before applying another type of primer. It is not recommended to use it on plastered and plasterboard surfaces.
  4. Glyphthalic - not recommended for use in damp rooms. Suitable for concrete, brick and wood walls. Dries within a day.
  5. Universal - designed to cover any surface. It consists of acrylic and resins, diluted with water, penetrates well into the treated surface.
  6. Wallpaper glue - not every type of glue is suitable for priming walls, you need to look at the instructions from the manufacturer.

The soil has practically no negative properties. Unpleasant moments when using it can occur with the wrong choice of coverage and in connection with its immediate features.

The disadvantage of liquid primers is their transparency and the penetration of stains through them. Therefore, applying them in wet rooms, you can get pronounced spots on the surface of the wallpaper.

A thick primer does not penetrate well into the surface of the wall.

The ideal option is to use two formulations at the same time. Liquid is applied with the first layer, thick - with the second.

Primer selection video.

The ideal option is to use two formulations at the same time. Liquid is applied with the first layer, thick - with the second.

Primer Properties

A primer is a special mixture containing substances that create a kind of film on the surface. Due to this, the base base absorbs less wallpaper paste and becomes more durable. In addition, the primed wall has high adhesive qualities, as a result of which the materials applied to it adhere better to the surface and last longer.

Preparation of a mixture for priming

Do walls need to be primed before wallpapering? Often, many refuse to prime the surface. Sometimes it really isn't needed. For example, if the base is even and strong. But if it is necessary to strengthen the surface or increase the level of adhesion, then the primer is simply irreplaceable.

It can be used not only for wallpapering, but also for painting or putty. It will not only strengthen the surface, but also protect it from the negative effects of moisture and prevent the appearance of mold and mildew. In the case of wallpaper, the primer will increase the level of adhesion, which will ensure good adhesion of the coating to the wall.

Why prime the walls before wallpapering? If the wall is loose, priming is a must. If neglected, the coating will not last long, and the base itself will begin to crack and crumble. Also, with a high humidity in the room, mold, fungus or stains on the lining may appear.

Do wallpapers need to be primed before painting? Experts recommend performing a similar procedure in order to increase adhesion between the coating and the mixture. Does wallpaper need to be primed before painting? Priming should be applied to different types of fabrics, including non-woven wallpaper.

How to prime the walls before wallpapering? This question worries many beginners in the construction business. The process of priming walls for wallpaper with your own hands is not very difficult, but you need to take into account a number of nuances:

  • It is possible to apply a primer for wallpapering only at a certain temperature. It should be between 5 and 30 degrees. The average humidity should be 75%.
  • Before work, you need to prepare all the tools in advance. You will need the following: a brush, a roller, a container for soil and a table or stepladder.
  • The first step is to prepare the surface. You will need to wash off the whitewash and remove the old coating from the wall. If there are pieces of paper left, they must be moistened with water and removed with a spatula.
  • Further, according to the instructions on the package, a white primer for wallpaper is diluted.
  • The mixture is mixed with a special construction mixer. If such a tool is not at hand, mixing is carried out manually.
  • The required amount of solution is poured into the container and the required amount is collected using a roller. You need to do everything carefully so as not to splatter the composition.
  • The wall is carefully treated with a solution so that there are no dry areas left. But using too much composition is also not recommended, this can lead to the formation of streaks.
  • How to treat areas that are difficult to reach? Hard-to-reach places are best treated with a brush.
  • After the first treatment, you need to wait two hours for the solution to dry. Drying time directly depends on the type of product selected and purchased.
  • After drying, you can proceed to applying the second layer.

You should also not use this type of primer for wallpaper - after all, the wall will be plastered in any case, and completely different primer mixtures are friends with plaster. They dry in about 15 hours.

glyptal

  • perfect for both wood and plastered surfaces;
  • dries for a very long time.

This primer option is much closer and can be called universal, but the only drawback - a long drying time - makes many craftsmen lean towards a different choice. We note the popular mixtures: GF-021, Ecol.

Acrylic

  • 100% universal;
  • dries very quickly;
  • perfect for wallpaper.

In any incomprehensible situation, buy an acrylic primer. This, of course, is a joke, but there is a lot of truth in it: it is suitable for any surface, and it will dry even faster than you can pick up the most beautiful wallpaper for your interior. Focus on the following names: Ceresit, Snezhka, Pufas, Forman - quite high-quality solutions at a reasonable price.

Well suited for application to a variety of surfaces. The composition is divided into two groups: water-soluble and based on organic components. Water-soluble compositions are intended for work on interior decoration rooms with low and medium levels of humidity. It is advisable to purchase organic primer mixtures for processing objects with high humidity. In general, acrylic "organic" is primarily used for external work.

In addition, acrylic primers are strengthening, adhesive and penetrating. The latter variety is used for priming porous walls and surfaces that have lost their strength (old plasters, concrete walls that have begun to delaminate, etc.).

Penetrating primers have the ability to soak into the material to a depth of 100 mm, strengthening it and reducing the degree of porosity.

Adhesion primers on acrylic base create a thin film layer on the working surface, with which the adhesive adheres very well. The film layer also helps to further level the plane. This type Great for sticking heavy wallpaper.

Acrylic-based strengthening primers are not deeply absorbed. Their main task is to bind dust particles.

2. Adhesives

Many of us remember that earlier a paste was used to fix the wallpaper, which was cooked at home from starch. It was applied to wall surfaces in two layers (as a primer), and the canvases themselves were smeared.

This method of sticker can be used when working with low-porous walls, on which light wallpaper made of paper will be applied. Currently on the market are different types glue, similar in properties to the "homemade" paste. If the label of such a product indicates that it can act as a primer, then there is no need to purchase the latter.

Again, it is advisable to use factory-made paste-type adhesives only for working with light paper webs.

Primers based on alkyd resins have long been used to treat various substrates. They are best suited for application to natural wood and wood composites - OSB, chipboard, plywood, fiberboard, MDF, etc. In addition, alkyd mixtures containing glyptal alkyd resins can be used to prime metal substrates.

1) It is necessary to consider what material the walls are made of. On sale there are universal primers. They are not cheap, but they allow you to work with almost any wall. The purchase of such primers is relevant when the room has walls, partitions and other surfaces for wallpapering, made of different materials.

2) It is important to take into account not only what conditions will be in it after the repair, but also what humidity and temperature conditions will be maintained at the facility during the priming of the walls. If ventilation cannot be organized for any reason, then it is advisable to opt for soils that do not emit substances harmful to health when applied.

4) Before buying a primer, be sure to ask the seller to present a certificate confirming the quality and sanitary and hygienic safety of the goods. Now fakes are very rare, but it never hurts to “insure”. You can also smell the product - if it emits a strong smell of ordinary PVA glue, then most likely it is a fake (with the exception of primers made with the addition of PVA).

Finally, do not try to buy the cheapest primer, especially if you started a major overhaul and purchased expensive wallpapers. It is better to give your preference to primer mixtures from the middle or high price category from reputable manufacturers.

Preparing the surface of the walls for pasting is quite simple. This task will be mastered by any beginner in construction, the main thing is to follow the recommended sequence of actions:

  1. For successful treatment of walls with impregnation, it is recommended to ensure the temperature and humidity conditions in the room. To perform work, temperatures from 5 to 30 ° C are allowed, and humidity - up to 75%.
  2. All tools are prepared before work begins.
  3. Before priming, the walls should be cleaned of old wallpaper and paint. To do this, use a spatula and hot water. If the old coating is difficult to remove, you can use special solutions to remove wallpaper.
  4. The cleaned surface is checked for cracks and irregularities, which are corrected with putty, followed by the application of leveling solutions.
  5. Stir thoroughly in a bucket or other container (with a mixer or by hand) ready solutions or prepare a primer according to the instructions. If it is planned to paste over the walls with wallpaper for painting, it is allowed to add appropriate pigment compositions to the soil, which will create a better base that does not contrast with the main color of the coating.
  6. With the help of a brush, the finished solution is first treated with hard-to-reach places (corners, adjoining walls to the ceiling).
  7. The main area is covered with a roller. For convenience, the primer is poured into a bath with a cuvette.
  8. Re-treatment is possible after the final drying of the previous layer. For high-quality preparation for gluing, it is enough to process the surface twice.

It is worth noting that there are quite a lot of primer mixtures on the market, and they differ markedly in composition, purpose, and cost. But there are four types of them. These are glyptal, alkyd, perchlorovinyl and acrylic. If you do not know how to prime the walls before wallpapering, the material must be selected based on the characteristics of the surface to be pasted.

Alkyd mixtures are ideal for wood, but not particularly friendly with plastered surfaces. So, if you have to glue on fiberboard, chipboard or other surface of this kind, then get this type of soil. The most popular and relatively budget compositions are primers of the Tikkurila brand.

Glyphthalic is suitable for both wood and plaster. But she has one drawback - she dries for a day. The most popular formulations are GF-021 and Ecol.

Perchlorovinyl primers, as a rule, are not used at all for wallpaper, as they are used more for outdoor work.

Acrylics are versatile, dry quickly and are ideal for our purposes. The most common brands are Ceresit, Snezhka and Pufas. So, if you don’t know how to prime the walls for wallpaper, get one of the acrylic mixtures - you definitely won’t lose.

Wall priming is a preparatory stage for surface treatment before gluing. This tool has a strengthening effect. It is a mistake to think that it is needed only to enhance the quality of the glue: this product has a wider effect.

This is a protective film that really helps to improve the adhesion of the wallpapering surface. However, it does not just promote bonding: depending on the type, this tool also levels the walls, makes them uniform in structure.

A wide range of primer materials is presented on the modern construction market.

According to the type of solubility of the primer are:

  • based on organic acids (alkyd resins, polyurethane, latex);
  • water-dispersion, which can be diluted with water (acrylic, latex, silicate, silicone);
  • mineral (based on lime, gypsum, cement).

By appointment, they are:

  • universal;
  • specialized;
  • antifungal;
  • insulating;
  • strengthening.

Consistency matters. Usually a transparent composition is more liquid. The white counterpart is more viscous and denser. Consistency determines penetrating ability.

Liquid transparent compounds strengthen the outer layer of the wall and bind dust. Among these varieties, one can find solutions with special additives, through which alkalis can be quenched. The price of such primers is acceptable.

Compared to their denser counterparts, their penetrating power is 25% greater. The disadvantage of such a primer is the heterogeneity of the application: when processing the surface, it is not visible which area is already covered with a primer. As a result, the part on which there is more soil gives itself out as a gloss. Heterogeneity is dangerous because the adhesion during wallpapering will be different.

Thick primers, unlike liquid varieties, are able to correct the surface of the walls before wallpapering. They eliminate small irregularities, have an antistatic effect, quench alkalis, creating a smooth film. Filling the micropores, they paint the surface of the wall, so the entire treated surface is visible during processing.

Its penetrating power is lower, such a primer is good for walls with a homogeneous structure without visible defects. The smoothness that this primer creates is suitable for plaster and thin wallpapers, as well as photo wallpapers. For liquid wallpaper, such a primer is not suitable.

  • The primed wall is made even and dry, the primer increases the reliability of the adhesion of the adhesive to the surface. A good primer ensures that the bottom layer remains intact and does not crack, in addition, it will not allow moisture to soak into the walls.
  • The primer applied to the wall allows it to "breathe", thereby creating a good microclimate, and preventing the fungus from spreading. Do not think that the wallpaper will stick well on the wall without a primer, this is a huge misconception.
  • The primer strengthens the outer part of the wall and penetrates inside. It simply fills the cracks and pores of the surface. It enhances the bonding of surfaces and prolongs the life of the wallpaper (see Wall decoration with wallpaper in the correct design). This is one of the main parameters why the walls are primed for wallpapering.

Training

What wallpapers are suitable?

With the right choice, the primer will prepare the surface for gluing wallpaper of various types. Paper, vinyl, non-woven and textile wallpaper on paper and non-woven bases.

However, it should be borne in mind: re-gluing the wallpaper, if necessary, requires re-applying the primer. Well will keep on the walls and glass. Such a surface can be updated by painting, which is convenient if you want to update the wallpaper background or mask pollution.

Liquid wallpaper will lie better on the surface without dripping on it when applied with a spray gun. It is important to consider: first, the walls are cleaned, only then they are treated with soil. Other options that bond well with a primer include cork and bamboo materials. Self-adhesive PVC is tightly glued.

Application

It is easy to apply a primer on the walls with your own hands.

To do this correctly, you should read a small instruction:

  • Initially, you need to prepare the tool for work. If the soil needs to be diluted, use water at room temperature. It can be diluted with water only if the water type of solvent is indicated on the package.
  • It is necessary to dilute the agent until a homogeneous structure is obtained. This is especially true of the concentrated type material. For such soil, you need to prepare a separate container.
  • If necessary, white color can be added to the composition. If it is necessary to tint the primer under the wallpaper, it is undesirable to use beige, pink or another color: they will distort the original color of the wallpaper.
  • Pour the primer into the container in parts. Firstly, the abundance of liquid will prevent uniform application to the surface of the walls (ceiling). Secondly, during the work there should not be a primer: at the bottom of the container, in any case, there will be dust particles, specks, which are unacceptable to pour into a common canister.

In the arsenal of an experienced craftsman there is a spray gun, through which the time for priming the walls is halved. At the same time, it is much easier to process hard-to-reach places (for example, slopes). It is easier for a beginner to apply the composition with a roller. To do this, the roller is lowered into a container with a working solution, moistened in the ground, slightly rolled inside the container.

There should not be much soil, otherwise it will flow along the roller, then along the handle and flood the floor surface before it hits the desired plane. Savings are also unacceptable: if the composition is small, it will not be able to penetrate the walls properly, therefore it will not strengthen the base.

You can navigate like this: if the soil does not flow in a stream and does not drip, you can process the surface. If it is planned to wallpaper the ceiling with wallpaper, the processing becomes somewhat more complicated: less composition and more rolling on the surface are needed.

When processing the main walls, use a roller. It is lightly pressed to the surface, rolling several times in one place, evenly distributing the composition.

Fluid must not run down walls or drip from ceilings. The soil layer should not be dense. In hard-to-reach places (corners, slopes) use a brush.

Where it is difficult to reach with an ordinary brush, take a small one. The use of brushes allows you to save a primer and carry out the processing of difficult places as accurately as possible. At the end of the working process, the tools and containers are thoroughly washed. The second layer of primer is applied only after the first one has dried.

Drying time

The drying time of the primer depends on its type and density of the solution, as well as the place of application, the temperature in the room and even the time of year. On average, the primer dries from 12 to 24 hours.

Some varieties dry faster: this process can take 5-6 hours. Typically, the manufacturer indicates the drying time on each package of the composition, so that the buyer knows this in advance before buying.

For example, acrylic varieties dry for about 24 hours (one layer), quartz counterparts need less time, mineral ones also take several hours.

Shellac, containing alcohol, dry quickly. However, the masters believe that, despite the assurances of the sellers, such primers need at least 10-12 hours for the film on the wall surface to be as strong as possible.

The same can be said about alkyd formulations: it is better to wait 12-14 hours and only after that do wallpapering, laying tiles, water-based paint, if the design provides for it. The process can be accelerated, however, the methods of accelerating drying have not only pluses, but also minuses. At experienced craftsmen That's what a heat gun is for.

To achieve the best result, it is necessary not only to correctly apply the primer to the walls, but also to wait for it to dry completely.

If you start wallpapering ahead of time, then everything beneficial features coatings will not work or, even worse, will lead to the opposite effect.

The fastest drying time for an acrylic primer is a maximum of 5 hours. Oil primers need at least a day to dry.

In addition, the drying rate of each primer layer is affected by the humidity and temperature inside the room. The primer dries especially long at a humidity of 60%.

How long after priming the walls can wallpaper be glued? Many people ask this question.

How to prime the walls with your own hands?

Before applying any primer, the walls should be thoroughly cleaned of the old coating and all loose elements should be removed (see photo).

Large chips and dents are sealed with putty, and after puttying, the wall needs to be primed. If the walls are porous, liquid impregnation is applied first, and then a thicker composition is applied.

There are some features of the soil for gluing a certain type of wallpaper:

  1. Under non-woven wallpaper. The walls are usually primed with white primer to ensure an even surface color, which will prevent dark spots from appearing under a fairly thin interlining. It is necessary to dry the walls for pasting this type of wallpaper especially carefully.
  2. Under vinyl wallpaper. A deep penetrating acrylic primer is recommended. Acrylic primers include latex, which promotes better adhesion of heavy vinyl to the surface of the walls.
  3. Under liquid wallpaper. To cover the walls with liquid wallpaper, it is recommended to cover them with a transparent emulsion or white primer. The primer is applied in two layers with an intermediate exposure of at least five hours. If the wall is smooth, then the primer for liquid wallpaper should be with quartz dust, to give the surface some roughness. This quality is necessary for a uniform application of a layer of wallpaper.

You can make a similar primer yourself by adding clean river sand or marble (quartz) dust.

Do-it-yourself wall priming video instruction.

Overview of popular brands

  1. "Belinka". Deep penetration primer. Levels the surface, improves the adhesion of the coating. Allows for uniform color. Suitable for all types of plaster, brick, concrete, drywall.
  2. Tiefengrund Knauf. It is applied on the hygroscopic bases. Penetrates deep into the surface, prevents shedding and cracking, creates a breathable layer. Not suitable for damp rooms, as it does not isolate water vapor.
  3. Livna. Strengthening impregnation.
  4. Cleo. Transparent primer, diluted with water. Contains antiseptics that protect walls from mold.
  5. Ivsil. Latex primer recommended for drywall, brick, cement plaster. The composition includes antiseptics.

Priming the walls according to all the rules before sticking the wallpaper will achieve the perfect result. No stains will appear on the walls, and the pasted wallpaper will not fall off or spread, which means that you will admire the results of your work for a long time.

When choosing between the right type of surface, each craftsman has his own preferences, based on the quality of the material and its properties. Experienced professionals allow the use of two types of primer. When treating the surface before sticking wallpaper for the first time, the wall structure is leveled with a transparent mixture. After that, another (white) primer is applied: it is the final stage of preparation for facing.

Based on their experience, the masters recommend that when choosing a primer, start from the thickness of the wallpaper. Deep penetration compositions are able to hold especially durable wallpaper sheets on the surface of the walls. Such varieties include structural heavy varieties. For example, two-layer vinyl models or varieties for painting: when applying each layer of such wallpaper, the thickness will increase. Due to the soil, you don’t have to worry about it: the wallpaper will stay on the walls for up to 20-30 years.

With regards to liquid wallpaper, the situation is different. To keep them firmly on the plane of the walls or ceiling, you need a primer with quartz. Varieties that form smooth surface are not suitable for them.

The structure of liquid wallpaper is such that for reliable adhesion, it needs to hold on to something. For such wallpapers, it is not necessary to perfectly align the planes: the primer can be applied to a non-plastered surface, while roughness is important. So the mass will cling to grains of sand, and it will be easier to smear it on the walls.

The mixture is diluted in small portions. This will not only eliminate the overabundance of the solution, but will also ensure that the composition is always clean during the priming process. The prepared solution is used on the same day. It is unacceptable to store such a composition, as it loses its properties.

If you need to apply liquid to the plaster, you should not further dilute it: the cement-sand mortar is highly absorbent. Such processing will dry for a very long time, which will delay the drying time.

If, during the processing of the walls, the primer fell on a plane that cannot be finished, it is necessary to immediately wipe it with a cloth dipped in water. If the tools are not washed immediately, the bristles and roller coat will harden as the primer dries.

It will not be possible to return their former softness; for subsequent work, you will have to buy new brushes and a fur coat. If there is furniture in the room that cannot be moved out (for example, drawers kitchen set), it is necessary to close it wide plastic wrap which you can buy at the hardware store.

Experts recommend buying a primer in larger quantities or concentrated form. As a rule, when processing walls before wallpapering, it will take much more than indicated by the manufacturer. The number of layers of soil matters: craftsmen pay attention to the fact that walls made of concrete, brick, fiberboard, drywall can be primed no more than 2 times before gluing the wallpaper.

If the wall is wooden, two layers may not be enough. However, this does not mean that it is possible to abundantly fill the surface with a solution. It is better to apply several thin layers.

Using a primer is convenient because the wall does not get dirty. When gluing wallpaper on it, spots will not appear. To prevent the formation of lumps during stirring, you can use a construction drill with a special nozzle. You can start pasting when the surface stops sticking.

Primer walls for wallpaper: why and how is it done

Primer for walls under wallpaper is in retail, and they themselves do it quite often. But many are wondering if it is necessary to prime the walls before wallpapering, and if so, then how to prime the walls before wallpapering. Our article will be devoted to this topic. You will be able to see photos and videos on this topic and do the job correctly.

Training

  • Wall priming is carried out after all the initial stages of work, including the removal of nails and old plaster.
  • The primer is applied after applying the putty, which has had time to dry.
  • The priming of the walls begins with the fact that the wall is moistened with a special impregnation. This is necessary in order to wash off the dirt and dust that remains after a rough surface treatment, because wallpaper cannot be glued to a dirty wall.
    Everyone knows that newspapers were first glued to the wall and wallpaper was already on them, but now the primer has forever replaced printed materials.
  • After the primer dries, the wall does not get dirty and becomes stronger than before. Thus, the wallpaper lays flat on the wall and holds firmly and for a very long time.
  • If you got a wall that was previously covered with wallpaper, you need to remove them and wash off the glue. This is done with a metal spatula or scraper and water.

Attention: If the wallpaper does not absorb moisture well and does not lag behind the wall well, then cuts should be made on the wallpaper for better moisture penetration. These days, stores sell a special liquid that quickly removes wallpaper. This liquid is added to a bucket of water, and wet the wall, leaving it soaked for half an hour. After half an hour, wet the wall again and easily remove the old wallpaper from the wall.

  • When the wallpaper is removed, it is necessary to properly wash the wall with warm water and clean the surface of the wall with a wide spatula from glue and whitewash.
  • Often in rooms with high humidity, such as the kitchen or bathroom in the corners is going to mold. This mold must be removed so that it does not appear on the newly repaired wall.
  • Places where mold has settled should be treated with bleach. As a rule, 200 grams of lime are required per liter of water. It should be noted that when pasting places where there was mold, glue must be bought with a fungicide content.
  • After removing old wallpaper, glue and mold, it is necessary to meticulously inspect the surface of the walls. Found cracks and irregularities must be puttied. If your apartment is not warm enough, you can make it warmer with a thin layer of Styrofoam. This method will not only make the apartment warmer, but also hide wall defects.
    Before you prime the ceiling, you need to get rid of the hook, holes and cracks properly by filling them. If the ceiling consists of drywall, gypsum or other porous surface, then it must be primed in any case.

Primer work

Now we decide how to prime the walls before wallpapering. There are a lot of materials in retail. Some do it just with pva glue. The walls are also primed before wallpapering with the glue that will be used when gluing the material itself, for this it is simply made more liquid.

Therefore, it is up to you to decide how to prime the walls under the wallpaper. Just before that, the instructions for using the primer should be carefully studied, it can simply be for different surfaces. Although all of it is applied and completely with your own hands. So:

  • The primer composition is best diluted in a bucket. The primer is different and before diluting it, you need to read the instructions that are written on the package.
  • Stir the mixture well so that there are no lumps left. To stir the solution, you can use a drill with a mixer nozzle, in this case a very good composition is obtained. Manually, this quality of the composition is difficult to achieve.
  • The primer is applied with a wide brush. This is very similar to whitewashing the ceiling (see Ceiling lining: types of material). Having spread an even layer of the composition on the wall, avoiding irregularities and untreated areas.
  • After you have primed the wall for the first time, you need to give it time to dry. Drying time is usually written on the package. Even if by your standards the surface of the wall after the first primer looks perfect, you still need a second coat of primer.
  • A lot depends on the quality of the wall on which the primer is applied, which can be impregnated differently on the same wall. When re-priming, the quality will be excellent and there will be no differences. On a completely flat wall, you can work with a paint roller, it is much more convenient and smoother than working with a brush.

How to prepare walls for wallpapering

The main arguments for preparing concrete walls before wallpapering are the following:

To make it easier for you to navigate and understand how to prepare the walls for wallpapering, we have grouped all the steps into instructions. You just have to follow the steps detailed in it.

Wall cleaning

First of all, the surface must be rid of any traces of the old finish. Wallpaper must be moistened with water and scratched from the walls with a spatula. To quickly remove the paint, you can heat it with a building hair dryer. You can read more about how to remove old wallpaper from walls or how to remove paint in the relevant articles. After removing the finish, the walls must be cleaned of traces of dust and dirt.

Primer

Firstly, a high-quality primer penetrates deep into the wall, preventing concrete and plaster particles from peeling off. Strengthening primer is especially indicated for use on loose substrates.

Secondly, the primer prevents the absorption of moisture, which is especially important when applying wallpaper glue - it simply absorbs less and dries more slowly. Well, a layer of finishing putty applied to a primed wall dries in a timely manner and does not crack.

Thirdly, the primer removes dust from the surface, and dust, as you know, prevents something from sticking.

You can prime the wall with a roller or a large brush. Well, before further finishing, it is necessary to allow the primer to dry.

As already mentioned, the wallpaper will not hide surface defects, so all scratches, pits and other irregularities are leveled with putty. If you have a plastered surface and cracks appear on it, this means that the plaster is falling off in those places. It must be beaten off from the wall and the pothole must be plastered over with a new one. If there is a difference of more than 5 mm on the wall, then this part should be leveled with plaster. The rest of the surface is leveled with finishing putty.

If you apply plaster or putty on an unprimed surface, then it is likely that the composition will simply crumble.

You will have to apply at least a thin layer of putty, especially when it comes to old concrete walls. On a rough surface, the wallpaper simply will not stick, and after six months it will begin to peel off at the seams.

For perfect alignment, one approach is not always enough. Professionals often level walls in two, three, or even four stages. Having covered the irregularities for the first time, it is necessary to wait for the putty to dry completely in order to proceed with the application of the next leveling layer. After drying, the puttied surface must be sanded with a fine-grained sandpaper. Grinding is needed in order to make the surface smooth, without roughness.

And the final step in preparing the walls for wallpaper is the application of a primer. It is the primer layer that will prevent the appearance of fungus and mold, increase the adhesion of the wallpaper to the walls. It is applied with a roller or brush. If the walls do not absorb the primer well, it must be reapplied. The second layer is applied only after the first has completely dried. After this stage, the walls are ready for wallpapering.

I would like to note that the primer is an obligatory step between any layers of plaster, putty and wallpaper. For quality preparation, always choose a good primer, better than deep penetration.

As you can see, the process, although painstaking, time-consuming, but not complicated. The main thing is to know the technology, and then your finish will delight with its original appearance for many years. We hope this article was useful to you, good luck!

What are the problems?

Wallpapering is one of the most simple ways change the design of a room or housing in general. A variety of materials allows you to create universal interiors adapted to certain styles. But in order to get a similar effect, you should pay attention to the condition of the walls before applying the canvases. It depends on how long and how well the wallpaper will be held on the surface.

Wall treatment before applying wallpaper is needed to solve several basic problems:

  • Uneven surfaces. It is theoretically possible to glue paper sheets on curved walls, but this will not allow you to get the desired effect. The joints between the sheets will be uneven, while forming overlaps or significant gaps. Therefore, in order to apply wallpaper with high quality, you must first repair the base.
  • Unstable foundation. The walls in many apartments have already been covered with plaster several times, which can peel off. This can lead to the fact that the wallpaper will not fit snugly with the surface and will quickly fall off. Small cavities can occur inside such bases, leading to the formation of drafts and other unpleasant phenomena.
  • Fungus. Mold often thrives in damp environments. If it appeared on the wall, then this means that the surface quickly absorbs water and does not dry out. In such cases, it is necessary to treat the walls with special substances, as well as additional plastering of the base. In some cases, to get rid of this phenomenon, it will be necessary to remove the top layer of wall decoration, in which spore pathogens are located.
  • Dirty base. Wallpaper glue is intended for processing only certain types of materials. If there are greasy, oily stains or paint on the surface of the wall, then it simply will not work to fix the canvas. After a certain period, the substance will simply peel off and fall.

Surface preparation is a must, even if none of these problems exist. But at the same time, the wall is affected by special compounds that only improve the quality of adhesion between the material and the base.

The first stage of preparation

The preparation of concrete walls depends on whether the old coating is present on them, or whether the walls have never been decoratively finished.

The very first stage in the preparatory work for wallpapering is the dismantling of the old coating. If you do not dismantle the old wallpaper, further surface preparation measures will not make sense.

The canvas of old wallpaper needs to be softened. If the previous wallpaper was paper, they should be soaked in soapy water with the addition of wallpaper glue. On vinyl or non-woven wallpaper, you need to make cuts in order to get to the paper base, which should soften the soap solution. After the wallpaper has softened, it should be removed with a metal spatula. If they are difficult to remove, it is worth moistening them again with soapy water.

If the wall was painted with enamel or oil paint, it should be cleaned with coarse sandpaper. Water based paint removed similarly to paper wallpaper with a spatula.

If the previous wall decoration was under plaster, it is necessary to verify its integrity by tapping for voids. Empty places are removed and plastered, if there are many such places, it is better to remove the entire layer and re-plaster the surface.

  • Puttying. This process is complex and also depends on the state of the surface. If the walls or ceiling were leveled earlier, then their preparation for gluing involves removing small irregularities and repairing cracks with putty. The newly plastered planes, which have already been processed without the use of putty, are also amenable to minimal impact. A more common case is when the geometry of the walls in the room is not respected. Therefore, it is important to properly prepare such planes for the application of materials. The procedure begins with the alignment of the corners, which must be joined strictly at an angle of 90 degrees. This will allow you to get smooth joints without cracks and drops. After that, proceed to align the walls themselves. To do this, they apply a thin layer of plaster in places where there are significant differences.
  • Padding. Finishing with primer mixtures is always carried out before gluing almost all types of wallpaper.

Wallpaper today can be glued not only inside apartment buildings where the walls are made of concrete or plastered. Similar materials are great for other bases.

Therefore, it is important to properly prepare them depending on the type of surface:

  • Concrete walls. Wallpaper is not glued to this material, as it absorbs moisture well, which will affect the operation of the sheets. Therefore, experts recommend that concrete be finished. This procedure begins with cleaning the surface with fine sandpaper. After that, it is important to remove all dust and cover the wall with a primer. To prepare concrete, the wall should be completely covered with putty. This will not only level the plane, but minimize the absorption of moisture. A similar algorithm can be used for brick walls that need additional plastering.
  • Drywall. Walls made of this material are an ideal base for wallpapering. When preparing them, attention should be paid to the joints between the sheets, where gaps form. Many experts recommend covering drywall with a thin screed, which will hide all defects and make them invisible after gluing. After this procedure, the material must be primed in order to increase adhesion.
  • Plywood, chipboard and other wood-based panels. These substances are also very common as wall surfaces. Theoretically, you can fix the wallpaper on them without preparation. But this approach is not always optimal, as the wood quickly swells and fails. To improve adhesion, experts recommend completely puttying the plates or additionally pasting them with special paper, which will act as an intermediate layer.
  • Clay. Clay walls are not so common, since only lovers of environmentally friendly technologies use this material as a building material. If the clay walls are fairly even, then they do not need additional preparation. But this does not exclude their priming, since this step is necessary for all types of bases.

What kind of wallpaper do we glue?

The type of wallpaper also affects the algorithm for preparing the surface for their fastening.

It is important to take into account a few simple nuances:

  1. Paper ones have a slight thickness, so even small irregularities will show through them. Therefore, the walls under them must be perfectly even.
  2. Base processing should be carried out only with the use of reinforcing meshes. This applies to those areas of the house where there is a risk of cracks that will lead to material rupture.
  3. The surface under vinyl wallpaper or non-woven materials may have small irregularities that they will hide. A feature of these types is that they do not let air (non-woven only after painting) into the wall structure. This, in turn, can lead to the development of fungus. To exclude this, the bases must be impregnated with special antiseptics.
  4. Liquid wallpaper is a certain layer of decorative plaster, which allows you to hide significant irregularities. But it is still recommended to level the walls under them, since when replacing them with other types, this will allow them to be applied faster and better.

Electrician

The electrical network is often located directly on the surface of the walls or inside them. If your cable is simply nailed on top, then it is advisable to place it in special strobes, which are small channels.

The process of preparing walls for wallpaper also includes several operations with electrical appliances:

  1. Dismantling of external elements. Before applying the primer or putty, remove the switch and sockets. At the same time, their insides should be carefully protected from dirt and foreign materials.
  2. Cable replacement. Almost all wiring today is hidden under the wallpaper, which does not allow it to be repaired efficiently and in a timely manner. Therefore, if your network is quite old and cannot withstand loads, wallpaper replacement is an opportunity to completely change all wiring to a new one. This operation is optional and depends only on the state of the electrical network.

A feature of any wallpaper is that they consist of several layers. This, in turn, can affect not only the strength, but also the transmission of the color of the base. Today, after gluing many types of wallpaper, a dark base or various types of spots appear through them. This feature applies only to thin sheets as well as liquid materials. To exclude this, you should glue them on the walls of light shades.

Before wallpapering, it is recommended to paint the base in light colors using lime or special primers. A similar approach is required for concrete and clay surfaces, which are characterized by significant contrast.

Please note that if you use thick wallpaper, then stains do not appear through them. They can only be seen if the wallpaper has a transparent structure that allows you to see the blackouts under the main layer of the wall covering.

The stages of preparing the walls have already been considered, however, now it is necessary to determine in more detail the sequence of preparatory work before pasting. Preparing the base for gluing is as important as processing it for painting.

Remove switch

During wall preparation work, it is recommended to remove the housings of electrical sockets and switches. There are various types of power supply devices, in connection with this it is not always possible to clearly determine how to remove the switch correctly. The network can be connected via circuit breakers. In this case, you will have to disable all protection.

There are two types of switches. They differ in the types of attachment. The switch can be attached to the wall with screws. There is also a hidden type switch, the box of which is located under the wall.

The modern switch has a smooth surface, the mounting is hidden. The first step is to remove the fastener keys. If it was not possible to do this manually, then you should use a screwdriver. After the fixation of the switch is removed, check the absence of voltage on the wires. Next, you need to disconnect the wires.

Treatment

If, after removing the wallpaper, irregularities are found on the wall, plastering should be resorted to. Plaster mortar is easily made by hand using sand and cement. The mixture is slowly stirred and water is gradually added to it.

The plaster is applied in three layers. The first layer should be no thicker than three millimeters. The second layer is aimed at leveling the plane of the wall and cannot be more than six millimeters.

Finishing preparation

The final preparation of the walls includes grinding the putty surface with a metal mesh or sandpaper from small irregularities after the putty has completely dried, and final priming until completely dry. necessary quantity layers.

This preparation of concrete walls is carried out when gluing paper, vinyl, non-woven wallpaper.

Preparing walls for wallpapering is a rather complicated procedure, which includes many different operations.

To get a quality result, you should follow a few simple recommendations:

  1. It is desirable to putty the walls in several layers. It is best to start this procedure from the top.
  2. When choosing finishing materials, you should pay attention to what surfaces they are intended for. It is important that they are compatible with the substrate, as their longevity depends on this.
  3. Regardless of the wallpaper used, the walls should be leveled as evenly as possible. This will allow you to use them in the future to work with various materials. After dismantling the old sheets, it will only be necessary to clean the surface and perform its priming. The versatility of flat walls is that they can also be used both for gluing and for painting.
  4. The base is covered with whitewash only if necessary. If you make its full alignment, then it will be light even after applying the finishing putty.

We have considered the main features of preparing walls for wallpapering. It remains only to summarize and give some useful advice those who decide to do the surface preparation on their own.

Important Tips:

  • In order for the wallpaper to last for many years, you should not ignore the instructions for the technological process, which includes putty and base primer.
  • The finish will never set on glossy paint, however, if you work the base with a special tool, it will become rough, which will allow the adhesive to take a good hold.
  • The joints between the wall and the plinth are best cleaned and filled with a solution of gypsum, wait until it dries, then remove the remnants of the dry mixture.
  • It is important to process the seams on the surface of drywall with puttying, it is advisable to paint them with oil paint.
  • So that no traces of the nails with which they are fastened are visible. drywall sheets, if possible, they should be deepened into the material.
  • If you skip the stage of priming the wall, then as a result, the finish will not be able to hold out for a long time.
  • During the puttying process, those parts of the walls where metal fittings are visible are carefully processed. This must be done to avoid the appearance of yellow spots on the wallpaper in the future.
  • After each stage of wall processing, the surface must be thoroughly dried. It is better to do this naturally without the use of artificial air heating devices. If the wall is not well dried, this will lead to dampness, and subsequently to the appearance of fungus.
  • During the puttying of the walls, the spatula tends to leave noticeable stripes. To reduce surface roughness, two thin layers are applied horizontally, and the next layer should be done in a vertical direction. You can also do this work diagonally. This will give the putty layer a more even appearance.
  • When choosing a tool for puttying, its dimensions are taken into account. The most optimal spatula with a width of thirty to forty centimeters.
  • When choosing wallpaper glue, you should pay attention to its important characteristics. First, the emphasis is immediately placed on a proven manufacturer. Repairs are always planned to be done not for a year, so the quality of the glue should be at high level. Secondly, you need to make sure that the glue is suitable for the type of wallpaper you have chosen. For each type of canvas, a separate type of glue is intended.

For more information on preparing walls for wallpapering, see the following video.

Preparation for liquid wallpaper

When preparing for liquid wallpaper, a perfectly flat surface is required, while when gluing non-woven wallpaper, some wall irregularities may become invisible. Preparing concrete walls for decorative plaster and liquid wallpaper is similar, but liquid wallpaper requires less time. It does not differ from the preparation for sticking ordinary wallpaper, except that liquid ones tend to draw stains and stains from concrete surfaces, so the walls must be covered by special means and several primer layers.

For concrete walls, gypsum is such a tool. It protects the adhesive included in the liquid wallpaper, allowing them to adhere securely to the concrete surface. Gypsum clogs all small bumps and pores, it can also be sanded. After it dries, the surface is primed and covered with white water-based paint so that the liquid wallpaper does not lose its color.

Successful examples and options

Interior wall decoration for wallpapering is a universal opportunity to solve several problems at once:

  1. The application of the canvases will become much easier, which will save a lot of time.
  2. Smooth walls allow you to decorate the room with various elements that could not be installed before.

You can decorate the walls beautifully with your own hands, as this does not require special knowledge. It is only important to choose the right materials that are suitable for solving certain problems.

Here is one example of how perfect a wall looks like, which was leveled with drywall and pasted with gray wallpaper. Despite the gloomy, at first glance, shades, the design of the room looks great thanks to the right furniture and bright accents - pillows.

Another original design, which was obtained using a plasterboard wall and wallpaper. Everything is carefully crafted and looks amazing.

Watch the video to prepare the walls for wallpapering with your own hands.

Preparation for painting

In preparation concrete wall before painting, it must be cleaned of any coating that has been applied and everything that may prevent an even layer of putty from lying down. All chips and cracks are sealed, then the concrete for painting is polished with sandpaper. To prime a concrete surface for painting, special deep penetration primers are needed to prevent swelling and peeling of the paint.

Preparing for tiles

Preparation of a concrete surface for tiles is practically no different from other types of coatings. The preparation steps for tiles are the same as described above. A plus in the work, which will save time, is the absence of the need to align the wall under the tiles to a perfectly even state - it is enough to get rid of significant irregularities.

An exception is the preparation for mosaic tiles with a paper base, which is glued like wallpaper - it requires a well-plastered surface. If the walls are even, the tiles are laid on tile adhesive or cement mortar, if not, then plaster mesh is additionally used.

After removing the old coating, the plaster is tapped for voids for repair. After that, the surface under the tile is treated with an antifungal primer, this is especially important if the bathroom or toilet is facing. floor tiles in these rooms must be treated with waterproofing.

Wallpaper has been known since ancient China. And even in our time they are widely used for repair work. And despite the simplicity of installing wallpaper, it is important to consider a few nuances. Walls need to be prepared for wallpapering. Indeed, without this step, the wallpaper will not last long, will look ridiculous and will not bring the expected results to the owner at all. What is included in this training? There is a proven technology, step-by-step actions that will help to cope with the task.

We clean the surface of the old finishing material

Wall surface preparation mandatory requirement if you want to wallpaper. If there are already wallpapers on the walls, but before sticking new ones, the old ones must be removed so that over time the tapestries do not fall off along with the old material, look perfect and last a long time.

Removing old wallpaper

The initial preparation of the walls before gluing begins with the removal of old wallpaper. After all, further work without this stage will not work. There is an opinion that it is enough to stick new wallpapers on the old ones, because they used to do just that. However, in today's realities, such options are undesirable. Here are some reasons:

  1. The adhesion (adhesion) of old wallpaper has already weakened over the years. They do not hold well, and after gluing the canvas will soften and simply fall off under the weight of the new layer. It used to be single-layer light wallpaper, which was tightly glued with homemade glue.
  2. New wallpaper will take much longer to dry as old wallpaper will get wet from the glue too, slowing down the drying process.
  3. Since the surface is not always smooth or the old wallpaper had a pattern, after they dry, bumps form on the new canvases, the appearance will deteriorate.
  4. Under the old wallpaper, mold and fungus can develop, which are not visible. After sticking new ones, the problem will not be eliminated, but vice versa.


How can you remove old tapestries so that the preparation is not in vain? There are several simple ways:

  1. Manual. This option is suitable for canvases that are already poorly adhered to the wall. Therefore, it remains to pry them from above with a spatula and begin to pull them down with your hands, tearing them off the wall.
  2. Wet. If the products hold well and do not tear off, they can be softened. To do this, notches are made along the surface with a special mole or claws in order to damage the upper protective layer and gain access to the base. After that, the surface is soaked with warm water with a rag or spray gun. It should not flow down the wall, moderate wetting is important. It remains to leave the material to soak and manually remove it. In this case, use a knife or spatula.
  3. Chemical method. In the store you can buy special substances, thanks to which the dismantling of wallpaper is easy. In this case, the wall will not be damaged in any way, and the mixture will not affect the human body. The package contains instructions on how to use the product. Usually it is enough to apply to the tapestries, wait and remove the weakened canvases. However, the cost of substances is not small.
  4. Steaming. The steam heats up the adhesive layer, softens the wallpaper and makes it easier to tear off. For this method of preparation, you need to have a steam generator. If there is none, then a regular or steam iron will do. It is enough to walk with a steam generator or a steam iron along the wall. If the iron is not steam, then a simple cloth is moistened in water, applied to the wall and ironed through. After the canvas is easily removed from the walls.

Important! work better with small areas, and not immediately with the entire wall.

Rarely, but it happens that such preparation methods for removing trellises did not help. In this case, you will have to remove the coating with a grinder or a special cleaning nozzle on a drill. But the preparation doesn't end there.

Removing paint material

Often there are painted surfaces. And although it is quite problematic to remove the paint, it takes time and effort, it is important to remove it so that it does not affect appearance tapestries and their service life. There are three effective ways removing the paintwork material so that the preparation is beneficial:

  1. Mechanical, it is also manual or with the use of power tools.
  2. Chemical.
  3. Thermal, through exposure to high temperature.


The cheapest, but time-consuming option is mechanical (manual). To work, you will need a chisel and a hammer, or a hand ax. Notches are made on the surface, after the paint layer is treated with warm water. It remains to bring down the paint at a convenient angle. Concerning mechanical way using a power tool, then a grinder or a drill is used in the work. Although it is fast, there will be a lot of dust and dirt in the room.


Advice! All preparatory work is carried out in a protective respirator or mask.

The chemical method is the easiest to implement. The only downside is the high cost. To complete the preparatory process, you need to put on protective elements and work according to the instructions. The entire wall is treated with a tool, a sufficient amount of time is expected. Eventually paint material soften and can be easily removed with a metal brush. The post-wall is washed several times.

Everyone knows that under the influence of high temperature, the paint begins to move away from the surface and shrink. This fact helps to remove the old coating. To do this, you need to take a building hair dryer or a gas lamp. However, there are a number of disadvantages, for example, when heated, harmful substances are released, and some types of paint are resistant to such temperatures.


It is noteworthy that these steps do not concern the preparation of walls for wallpapering in a new building. But the further stages will approach both new houses and old ones.

Surface primer

Primer - a special composition that improves the adhesion of the material to the wall surface and reduces the consumption of adhesive. In addition, there are antiseptic compounds on sale that prevent the appearance of fungus or mold. It does not matter if the walls are made of concrete, brick, there is plaster or drywall. The primer is always applied, without it the preparation is not readable. The composition even prevents the formation of cracks.

What kind of composition to process the walls? There are such types of primers:

  1. Acrylic primer.
  2. Alkyd.
  3. Mineral based.
  4. Deep penetration compounds.
  5. Products with coloring powder.
  6. With antiseptic additives.

A consultant in the store can advise which option is better to choose for a particular surface. In addition, the manufacturer indicates on the box what the product is intended for.


How is pre-priming done? To work, you will need the composition itself, a brush-brush and a roller. It is easy to handle hard-to-reach areas with a brush, and open areas with a roller. There should be no gaps. Before application, the wall is cleaned and dust and dirt are removed. After the first layer has dried, it is recommended to apply another one.

Plastering for wall defects

Curved, unfinished and damaged surfaces must be leveled and the easiest way to do this is with plaster. The algorithm of actions is as follows:

  1. Prepare in advance right amount mixtures. The technology of preparation and proportions depend on the composition. There are exact instructions on the package.
  2. Since our task is to correct significant irregularities or apply plaster to bare walls, beacons are set up. It is easy to level the wall on them using a wide rule.
  3. The plaster is applied by throwing on the wall, using a spatula, and the wall is brought to an ideal state by the rule.
  4. When the wall dries, the beacons can be removed, and the resulting strobes are covered with plaster. Preparation is completed.

The most difficult and important thing in this work is to perfectly line up all the beacons.

Sometimes the resulting base is used for wallpapering. But since the composition is rough and has dark color, it is impossible to stick single-layer and light tapestries. Only non-woven or vinyl-based products are suitable. But, as experience shows, it is still better to perform puttying.

Puttying with minor imperfections

If the wall is relatively flat and has minor flaws, then the best option for preparing the walls for sticking wallpaper with your own hands is to apply putty. When the surface is even, but has only minor cracks, it is enough to remove them pointwise, slightly expanding with a chisel and covering with starting putty.


The sequence of preparations is as follows:

  1. Putty preparation. It should be noted that the material quickly loses its properties in ready-made and dries up. Therefore, it is better to prepare as much mixture as the worker can use within 30 minutes.
  2. Using a wide spatula, the mixture is transferred to the surface and evenly distributed over the wall. It is important to keep the spatula at the right angle.
  3. It is not necessary to grout after the surface has dried, the main thing is to level the surface.


On this, the preparation of the walls for wallpapering is almost completed. But, it remains to complete the finishing stage, without which it is impossible to guarantee the durability of the coating.


Primer before wallpapering

It was described above why priming is so important in preparation. But since putty was applied after the first priming, immediately before gluing the wallpaper, it should also be carefully primed.


Priming is an intermediate stage between wallpaper glue and canvases. And if you use glue and primer from the same manufacturer for gluing, you can achieve the most effective result at the preparation stage. The primer is still applied with a brush and roller, with a break for the drying of the previous layer. It is important that the wall is free of dust and dirt. After the soil is completely dry, the trellis is glued.

Although it will take additional time, effort and money to prepare for wall decoration with wallpaper, such manipulations will make the surface ideal for wallpapering. They will look great and last a long time.

We examined the technology of preparing walls for wallpaper, as well as the procedure for work. It remains to put everything into practice and enjoy the results.

One of the main stages of apartment renovation is wallpapering. This type of room decoration requires some knowledge, since the preparation of the walls occupies an important place in this process. To get the desired result, it is necessary to properly prepare the surface for gluing. The features of this process will be discussed in our article.

Process features

The process of preparing walls for wallpapering can never be ignored, because it is always important how well the canvas is glued. You should not think that all the flaws will hide under the new expensive wallpaper, so in no case do not skip the leveling step.

The reasons for preparing the walls for wallpapering are numerous, but I would like to note the main ones:

  • The porous surface will not be able to hold the wallpaper for a long time.
  • An uneven base will directly affect the final result.
  • A smooth prepared surface will provide good adhesion to the coating.

In the process of surface preparation, you will need many tools, such as a roller, a knife, brushes of different sizes, a primer, putty, glue, sandpaper.

An important step in the work is the creation of a workspace. To protect the floor from various kinds of substances, it is recommended to cover the film. To avoid drafts, it is necessary to close the room and keep the temperature between eighteen and twenty degrees. It is important to make sure that there are no foreign objects left on the walls, such as old nails or screws. It is important to know that you should not leave the old wallpaper and glue new ones on them, otherwise the old pattern may appear, and the canvas may also swell.

Working with different surfaces

Before you start gluing walls with wallpaper, you should determine what type of surface you will have to work with:

  • If the wall is done plasterboard, then, despite the fact that the surface in this case is quite smooth, it is characterized by porosity. It is required to perform additional smoothing of the plasterboard wall, while taking into account the existing numerous seams at the joints. It is recommended to use putty, but with a minimum consumption of material.
  • For processing concrete wall it will take more time. It uses priming, plaster, and in some cases putty. The primer mixture improves the adhesion of materials. The problem of processing concrete surfaces is the dark color of the base, which is not very good if you are going to glue light wallpapers. The use of putty will come to the rescue.

  • brick surfaces they are not even, so their preparation will take much longer. Coming long work, which includes the stages of leveling by plastering, applying a primer solution, puttying. Mixtures for plastering are sold ready-made in specialized stores. To obtain a quality solution when diluting the dry mixture with water, it is better to use a mixer. The use of plaster is not always necessary. If the wall is dry and without bumps, then you should not spend money and time on this stage.

As for putty, it will help to properly fix the wallpaper. After the end of this stage of processing, the walls are sanded.

  • OSB boards are similar to the previous type of base, so they should be processed in the same way. This also includes finishing the joints between the plates. The preparation of walls from OSB and chipboard is carried out with a special type of putty. Repairs in a new building are not always done with high quality, so homeowners in a new building often panel house face the same problems as the residents of older buildings. It is often found that the sides of the panel are not even enough. Experts recommend using several layers of plaster before proceeding with wallpapering.

There is a variant of wallpapering on plywood. In this case, the preparatory work will consist of a preliminary application of a primer layer.

Next, you should pay attention to the seams between the canvases. It is important to be sure to putty them, otherwise the defects will show through the wallpaper. It is best to glue non-woven wallpaper on this type of surface, since their density will hide possible minor irregularities and roughness.

How to clean the surface?

An important procedure before sticking new wallpaper is getting rid of old coatings. This will require a number of cleaning tools that are easy to find in hardware stores. Cleaning the base for new wallpaper is not so difficult if you follow some basic rules:

  • It should be remembered that near heaters and near windows, wallpaper leaves quickly, and this process does not consume much energy. If this cannot be done the first time, the wall is soaked with water and then the remnants of the wallpaper are removed with a spatula.
  • If you have to remove old vinyl wallpaper, in this case it is important to first remove the vinyl layer, and only then the paper itself. Hot steam will help remove non-woven wallpaper. Thus, the old canvas will be removed very quickly.

  • If the task is to get rid of old washable wallpaper, then this can only be done in layers. First, a thin layer is removed, then paper. The use of a steam iron or steam cleaner will also help here.
  • Another problem in the cleaning phase is paint stripping. In this case, you can resort to several methods of removing the coating. You can try to clean the base with your hands and with the help of tools. A regular hammer or a metal brush works well.

An alternative would be the use of chemicals, the list of which is extensive and available for sale. After this cleaning it is imperative to wash the wall, preferably two or three times:

  • If whitewash remains on the wall, then it should be of high quality, also without cracks and chips. On this basis, the new wallpaper will hold up well. However, whitewash does not always have good quality and may crumble. In this case, it should be cleaned in order to avoid problems in the future.
  • Next, you need to clean the wall to get rid of debris and dirt with a vacuum cleaner or a broom with water.
  • At the end of the stripping of the base, it is proposed to evaluate how ready the surface is for gluing.

What needs to be pre-treated?

From the correct processing of the walls before gluing depends on how long the new wallpaper will last. In this regard, it is required to process the base carefully so as not to miss important points, especially if you are going to do everything yourself:

  • It is already known that the surface must be leveled and properly cleaned. Cleaned bases are checked for dents, scratches. There should be no dirt on the base. The use of putty will help to more thoroughly prepare the surface.
  • A fungus may appear on the wall, in order to avoid this, the base should be smeared with special antifungal compounds. It is important to know that you need to prepare the base for puttying after applying the anti-fungal agent.

  • If it is planned to cover with liquid wallpaper, then the processing technology is practically no different from surface preparation before gluing paper wallpaper. In this case, the base for wallpaper must be smeared with a primer mixture. Usually the surface is covered with primer in two layers.
  • It is important to remember that if the walls are strewn with bumps, then no processing and further putty will save. This is where drywall comes in handy.

The order of work performed

The stages of preparing the walls have already been considered, however, now it is necessary to determine in more detail the sequence of preparatory work before pasting. Preparing the base for gluing is as important as processing it for painting.

Remove switch

During wall preparation work, it is recommended to remove the housings of electrical sockets and switches. There are various types of power supply devices, in connection with this it is not always possible to clearly determine how to remove the switch correctly. The network can be connected via circuit breakers. In this case, you will have to disable all protection.

There are two types of switches. They differ in the types of attachment. The switch can be attached to the wall with screws. There is also a hidden type switch, the box of which is located under the wall.

The modern switch has a smooth surface, the mounting is hidden. The first step is to remove the fastener keys. If it was not possible to do this manually, then you should use a screwdriver. After the fixation of the switch is removed, check the absence of voltage on the wires. Next, you need to disconnect the wires.

To avoid electric shock, all internal parts of outlets and electrical switches who were left without external protection, you need to paste over with tape or other similar material.

Treatment

If, after removing the wallpaper, irregularities are found on the wall, plastering should be resorted to. Plaster mortar is easily made by hand using sand and cement. The mixture is slowly stirred and water is gradually added to it.

The plaster is applied in three layers. The first layer should be no thicker than three millimeters. The second layer is aimed at leveling the plane of the wall and cannot be more than six millimeters.

The final stage of plastering is the so-called covering, which must be done very thinly.

You can not proceed to the next stage of processing until the plaster is completely dry. Do not count on the quick drying of the plaster solution, as this may affect the quality of the material and its service life. The normal time for plaster to dry is about a day. After that, the wall is cleaned with special tools to level the surface and remove all defects.

  • Priming helps to hold the surface together and prevents further deterioration and peeling of parts of the finish.
  • The mixture of soil composition prevents the rapid absorption of moisture.
  • The primer helps to cope with dust.
  • The soil composition easily penetrates into any thickness. To apply the primer, it is sufficient to use a brush or roller. The soil mixture, when applied to the surface, forms a protective film, in addition, it levels the plane, cleans the base from small debris.

Before wallpapering, the walls are primed for:

  • formation of a smooth plane;
  • strength;
  • protection against fungus;
  • sustainability guarantees.

To date, there are several types of primer:

  • The most famous of them are acrylic. They can be used on any surface. They have a high drying rate, do not have a strong odor.
  • The next type of soil solution is called alkyd. It is not suitable for all bases, more often they are processed wooden surfaces. This solution dries longer than acrylic.

  • Another equally common type of priming is the treatment of walls with a glyptal mixture. This type is suitable for metal bases.
  • Mineral primers are good for brick or concrete walls.
  • Deep penetration soil mixtures are used to additionally strengthen the planes. This type of primer can penetrate into the surface from five to twenty millimeters. Often these types of soil solutions include substances that protect the base from fungal formations.

  • There are compositions with coloring pigments. Such primers are suitable for treating walls before gluing light-colored wallpapers.
  • Quite often, when repairing apartments, it becomes necessary to fasten various materials. In this case, a special type of primer called concrete contact comes to the rescue. Such a solution changes the surface of the base, which makes it possible to fix the materials on the wall. Such a composition has many advantages: it serves for many years, has an insulating effect, and dries quickly.

Behind the primer is the sealing of seams, cracks. Deep cracks, as a rule, are enlarged, treated with soil and sealed with cement mortar. It is necessary to check does the rest of the plaster lag behind the wall. Most likely, it will have to be removed with a hammer in order to avoid re-alignment with plaster in the future.

The next step will be putty. This process does not take much time, it is quite simple. Minor defects and irregularities of the wall are easily eliminated with putty and a spatula.

All the necessary materials and tools for this are sold at any hardware store and are inexpensive.

On plastered walls, it is recommended to apply putty if the walls are not very curved. Puttying is a mandatory step, as it can significantly reduce the level of roughness of the base. With the help of a puttying tool, all irregularities are eliminated in several passes. To achieve a perfectly flat wall, you will have to putty at least three times. It is important to note that the last layer (finish) should be the thinnest.

It is worth additionally paying attention to the need for grinding the surface both before the start of puttying and after it dries. You need to sand the wall until it is perfectly smooth.. An important point is the choice of putty mortar, which is made from different ingredients. Experts believe that the best option is an acrylic mixture.

The puttying process may include several stages, depending on the condition of the walls:

  • Initial coverage. It's over rough finish, which allows you to align all kinds of pits, chips, cracks. With this method, you can use a mass of gray. Puttying is best done using beacons. They will help make the surface smoother. They can be made from different materials.
  • Finish coating. This is the layer that prepares the base for wallpapering.
  • The last stage of processing is re-impregnation with a primer. In fact, the same thing is done as before puttying. The only exception is the volume of the spent mixture. It will take less, as the base is almost ready. Before you start gluing the wallpaper, be sure to wait for the complete drying of the primer solution.

Sticking

With strict observance of all stages of preparation, wallpapering itself will not cause any problems. The main thing is to follow the instructions exactly, depending on the type of coating, to ensure the optimal microclimate in the room, use the appropriate adhesives, etc.

We have considered the main features of preparing walls for wallpapering. It remains only to sum up and give some useful recommendations to those who decide to do surface preparation on their own.

Important Tips:

  • In order for the wallpaper to last for many years, you should not ignore the instructions for the technological process, which includes putty and base primer.
  • The finish will never set on glossy paint, however, if you work the base with a special tool, it will become rough, which will allow the adhesive to take a good hold.
  • The joints between the wall and the plinth are best cleaned and filled with a solution of gypsum, wait until it dries, then remove the remnants of the dry mixture.
  • It is important to process the seams on the surface of drywall with puttying, it is advisable to paint them with oil paint.
  • To avoid visible traces of the nails that fasten the drywall sheets, if possible, they should be deepened into the material.

  • If you skip the stage of priming the wall, then as a result, the finish will not be able to hold out for a long time.
  • During the puttying process, those parts of the walls where metal fittings are visible are carefully processed. This must be done to avoid the appearance of yellow spots on the wallpaper in the future.
  • After each stage of wall processing, the surface must be thoroughly dried. It is better to do this naturally without the use of artificial air heating devices. If the wall is not well dried, this will lead to dampness, and subsequently to the appearance of fungus.
  • During the puttying of the walls, the spatula tends to leave noticeable stripes. To reduce surface roughness, two thin layers are applied horizontally, and the next layer should be done in a vertical direction. You can also do this work diagonally. This will give the putty layer a more even appearance.

  • When choosing a tool for puttying, its dimensions are taken into account. The most optimal spatula with a width of thirty to forty centimeters.
  • When choosing wallpaper glue, you should pay attention to its important characteristics. First, the emphasis is immediately placed on a proven manufacturer. Repairs are always planned to be done not for a year, so the quality of the glue must be at a high level. Secondly, you need to make sure that the glue is suitable for the type of wallpaper you have chosen. For each type of canvas, a separate type of glue is intended.

We must not forget that no matter how high-quality the wallpaper is, there is no guarantee of a successful end result. It all depends on how the walls were prepared for wallpaper.

For more information on preparing walls for wallpapering, see the following video.

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